Joe Biden, who is spending Christmas at Camp David, has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militia groups. Photo: JULIA NICKHINSON/SHUTTERSTOCK
Joe Biden was accused by the Iraqi government of committing a “hostile act” after he ordered airstrikes across the country in retaliation for attacks on US troops.
The US president has ordered Pentagon officials to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militants who wounded three US soldiers in a drone attack earlier this week.
US warplanes struck three sites in Iraq before dawn on Tuesday, related with Kataib Hezbollah Group.
But the airstrikes also killed an Iraqi soldier, drawing sharp criticism from Baghdad, which has US troops stationed at bases across the country.
“This is contrary to the desire for enduring mutual interests in establishing security and stability and contradicts the stated intention of the American side to strengthen relations with Iraq,” the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said.
Za-tat terrorist attacks in Iraq have become commonplace since the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel carried out by Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, previously defended airstrikes in Iraq. as “necessary and proportionate.”
In recent weeks, the US has stepped up its response to threats from Iranian proxies in the Gulf region, leading patrols protecting ships from Houthi missiles from Yemen.
Regional tensions further flared on Tuesday with reports of explosions off the coast Egypt and Yemen.
Meanwhile, American support for Israel's war in Gaza has waned, with the White House sharply warning against killing civilians and calling for further action. supplies of humanitarian aid.
Ron Dermer, Israel's minister of strategic affairs, was scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday evening to discuss the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the return of hostages held by Hamas, the White House said. /p>
Blinken also spoke with Dermer earlier this month. There was a surge in fighting around Christmas, especially in the central region south of the seasonal waterway that bisects the Gaza Strip.
Britain's maritime agency said explosions were heard and missiles were seen off the coast of Gaza. on Tuesday the Yemeni coast, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked merchant ships transiting the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
There were no immediate complaints about the latest attacks. Explosions were also heard off the coast of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, state media reported.
Israel carried out new air strikes on Tuesday in central Gaza, where the United Nations said it was alarmed by an increase in Israeli attacks that have killed more than 100 Palestinians in one part of the enclave. from Christmas Eve.
As international pressure to end the war increases, Israel has refused to back down or scale back its invasion. On Tuesday, Israel's military chief said he still has “many months” of fighting in the Gaza Strip to achieve his goal of eliminating Hamas.
“This war has necessary and difficult challenges that must be met. it takes place in complex territory. That is why the war will continue for many more months,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told Israeli media on Tuesday evening, adding that Israeli forces were “close to completing the dismantling” of Hamas forces in northern Gaza.
Israel's military said on Tuesday that an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit a church in northern Israel and wounded a civilian in the latest cross-border attack amid the war in Gaza.
they said. that a rocket hit the Greek Orthodox church on a hilltop in Ikrit, an abandoned Palestinian Christian village whose residents were forced to abandon it during the 1948 war and the creation of Israel.
The army accused the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of continuing fire at Israeli “civilian and religious targets.”
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